Entries Categorized as 'Older Readers'
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mysteries, Older Readers, Review
Tags:French Revolution, Julia Golding, nobility, stage plays, thieves
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Catherine “Cat” Royal is a streetwise orphan who lives in the theatre at Drury Lane. As London is in an uproar over the French Revolution, Cat is thrust into dangerous political intrigue when Mr. Sheridan, the owner of Drury Lane Theatre, entrusts Cat with the secret that a diamond is hidden in the theatre. If that wasn’t enough, a London gang finds out and will stop at nothing to make Cat reveal the diamond’s location.
This book has a plot full of intrigue and mystery that will keep you turning pages until the final twist. Julia Golding masterfully describes both the gentry and commoners and their feelings about the rise of liberty. Though I did figure out the main plot thread before it was revealed, I was quite surprised by a number of places in the story. One little warning: The Diamond of Drury Lane takes place mostly on and around the streets of 18th century London. The very dirty streets of 18th century London. Get the picture? Other than that (and it’s really quite minor), this one’s a definite keeper.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Award Winner, imagination, Katharine Paterson, Quick Read, Sad
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Jess is surprised when Leslie, the new girl at his school, chooses him as her only friend. However, he is soon very happy to have met somebody who actually cares about his hobby of drawing and understands him. Together they “discover” the imaginary land of Terabithia and retreat there from all their problems. But how long can it last?
I found this one intriguing. It starts out as a slice-of-life story and a neat one at that. But about halfway through, with hardly any foreshadowing, the plot takes a turn you won’t expect (unless, like me, you had it ruined for you ahead of time). There’s definitely room for lots of discussion about the ending, which strikes me as sad for reasons the author didn’t quite intend.
Posted by Ruth
Categories: Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Gene Stratton-Porter, Limberlost
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Abandoned, crippled, and bearing no more of a name than “Freckles,” a young man takes upon himself the job of guarding the Limberlost forest. It’s a big task, requiring courage and stamina, but Mr. McLean, the boss of the lumber company, consents to give him a chance. During his work in the months to come, Freckles befriends the bird woman, an avid photographer, and he meets a beautiful girl whom he calls his swamp angel. But Black Jack the timber thief has his eye on several of the most valuable trees, and he will stop at nothing to steal them.
This is really quite a good book, and I’m afraid it gets overlooked more often than not. I love following Freckles’ journey as he learns to love the forest and the creatures that live there, and all the events which come about through his time there. Written in an older style (all the chapters are titled “In Which…”) but not short on adventure, Freckles is well worth reading. Give it a try, and prepare to be swept off to the Limberlost.
Posted by Jordan
Categories: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Older Readers, Review
Tags:Animals, Dragons, Sad, Scott Appleton, The Sword of the Dragon
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Six sisters, human daughters of a dragon, are given a sword each from a six-warrior band that turned traitor a thousand years ago. Their task? Find one of the traitors who is still around and bring him to justice. After that, a future involving a difficult choice, especially for Dantress, the youngest and most powerful of the sisters.
It’s unfortunate that I couldn’t delve further into the depth of story here without dropping major spoilers. There’s a lot of backstory and plot going on, and the ending theme is certainly worth the read. The author states in a note at the beginning that this, his first novel, is a prequel to a much larger story to come. That may be the reason why this particular facet of the story came across as somewhat disjointed to me. Several events left me asking, “Why did that happen?” and some parts of the story felt almost random. Here’s hoping that book two will answer many of the remaining questions. I’m looking forward to reading it!
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